The love I feel for him
by Ice-Cold-Diamonds
Summary: M.K now has a choice between the world of 'Stompers' and the world of 'Light Treaders'. Which will she choose and what consequences will come with her decision. I suck at summaries but I promise you the story will be better! Starts at the kissing scene. Rated T just in case. Lots of M.K and Nod fluff. I love those two! xxx
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! I just finished watching Epic and can I just say it was, epic! Yeah I know, such a corny joke. Anyway, getting back on track, I loved the movie and the ending but I kept thinking. What if M.K didn't get taken back to the 'Stomper's World'? What if she had the chance to stay? So, with that, I thought I'd create my own little fan fic about it! Hopefully you enjoy**

Chapter 1:

M.K's P.O.V

I struggle to hold onto Nod while we share a kiss to remember. For five whole seconds we stay there, my lips firmly pressed to his. Just as I think I'm going to be whisked away, the wind slows and my feet are on the ground. I look into Nod's brown eyes for a moment and then turn towards the new queen. "I didn't consider the fact that maybe you wanted to stay?" She asks me.

"Is that allowed? Can I become one of you?"

"You already are." Ronin says to me.

I smile at the young lady. "Thank you so much your majesty." And with those few words, she's lifting me into the air. I shut my eyes and gasps come from everyone in the crowd. After a minute or so I float back to the floor and feel my hair in loose curls around my face and on my chest. I see a white, strapless bodice and a pink, rose petal, skirt that make up a gorgeous dress.

"There, now you really look like one of us." She smiles.

"Once again your highness, thank you." The celebratory dance is starting and everyone is leaving 'The delivery room'. **(A/N: I don't actually know what it's called, sorry, let me know if you do) **I think about joining them but then decide not to. I walk over to the ledge and take in the beautiful scene. Bright glows, sparkling water, green trees and colourful flowers. The forest has never looked so astonishing. I lean against a banister and clear my mind of every tiny, troubling thought. Someone clears their throat and I turn to see no other than Nod.

"May I have this dance?" His hand stretches out and I take it instantly. It feels so good to be in his arms. We're swaying to the faint sound of music from down below and I look into his brown orbs intently for the second time tonight. "That was some kiss huh?" I laugh at this and rest my head on his shoulder.

The song ends and too quickly we break apart. "We should probably go congratulate the queen." I say awkwardly.

"Yeah, we probably, uh, should." He walks down the stairs and I trail behind slowly.

-x-

"My feet are aching from all this dancing. Do you think it would be rude of me to leave a little early?" I ask Nod.

"No, I don't think that would be rude at all but you don't really have anywhere to go for a few days."

"What do you mean?" I just remember then that I haven't actually got a house. "Oh."

"A few of the leaf men are building you a small home as we speak. They're very good and should have it finished in a few days. In the meantime, I guess you could stay with me. I have a spare bedroom and a lot of room for the both of us."

"Sounds like fun." He smiles.

"Okay. I guess we should get going then."

"I guess so." A smile breaks out on my face while we walk outside into the darkness. I'm glad it's night time because I would be totally embarrassed if Nod saw me smiling like a kid with candy. I just don't know how I'm going to contain my enthusiasm. I mean, I'll be sleeping in the same house as Nod. _Snap out of it Miss Mary Katherine. _My conscience warns me. _Don't leap in. He might not feel the same way. _I start to argue with myself. We did kiss. _You leaned in. You kissed him. He might have just been being nice and not rejecting you so you didn't get embarrassed. _Maybe you're right.

"So, this is it." Nod ushers me inside his spare room and murmurs something of a goodnight and then quickly closes the door. I listen and wait for the sound of his door closing before I allow a deep breath to escape my mouth. I slide my legs under the warm covers and sleep washes over me. Tomorrow is going to be the first of many fun, potentially awkward, days. I can feel it.

**A/N: Okay, I know this is really short and boring but I wanted to know how you guys felt about it before continuing. I've only written a few other fan fics but I'm still relatively new and love reviews so I would like 10 reviews before I update. I know, it's a lot and I sound really desperate! But they're the only way for me to know if anyone actually likes my story or if anyone hates it. So leave a long or short review pretty please! You can give me some constructive criticism, some happy thoughts or even tell me a bit about yourself :) My love to anyone who has taken the time to read this, you're wonderful! xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to anyone who did take the time to review :) Here's the second chapter for you all! In this chapter M.K gets to see her new house being built. Try and think of Tinkerbell's teapot house if you can, that was kind of my inspiration. **

Chapter 2:

I glance at the clock, 12:43. I wake up and start making some breakfast. I pick up a small piece of paper folded up on the coffee table.

_Dear M.K, _

_With everything that's happened I thought it was best just to let you sleep. I can't imagine how overwhelming all this must be. See you after training. _

_Nod. _

Great. What am I supposed to do all day? Visit Mub and Grub? Nim Galuu? I could go check out the construction site. Nod said it was nearby. I finish eating a blueberry and go for a walk. I can hear the noises of tiny hammers and tiny paintbrushes so I follow the sounds. I walk up to a tree root with toadstools growing out of the side of it, clearly you could use them as steps. I walk up them and see three Leaf Men

"Hey M.K." One of them smiles.

"You know me?"

"Well, yeah, apart from Nod talking about you nonstop since you got back, you helped save the whole forest!"

"Wow. Word travels fast."

"I guess it does. Oh, by the way, I'm Kai. This is Keenan and Seth."

"Nice to meet you all." I say with a small smile. "Do you mind if I have a look at my house?"

"Not at all." Seth says. "We found some thingy made of a hard type of material. It's reasonably big but it has a small, jaggered hole near the top of it so if we put a few leaves over the hole we can use them as a roof, it should protect you from any bad weather." The teapot is on its side, so the lid can be used as a cover for the doorway. Vines have already started to grow through the handle, probably the work of the queen and it already looks like a nice place to live. The view's great and it's away from the busiest parts of Moonhaven.

"It's a teapot."

"A what?" Asks Keenan.

"It holds hot liquid that you drink but I don't think it would be very useful for that when there's a hole in it." Everyone laughs. "Anything I can do to help?"

"I guess you could go looking for some leaves and vines to make a roof. I can come with you if you want?"

"It would be nice to have some company Kai, thanks." We don't get very far before Kai spots a few leaves he thinks will be perfect. "What about these vines Kai?"

"Great spotting M.K. We should probably head back now."

-x-

"Guys, I think I'm going to go back to Nod's. I have a major headache." I had just finished painting the exterior and interior of the teapot and it's taken a few hours. "I think the paint fumes have gone to my head."

"No worries. Thanks for all your help today."

"Thank _you _for all the work you've done!" They wave goodbye and I walk back to Nod's. I walk home and lie on the couch. My head hurts so much. I drift off to sleep and when I wake up its dark outside and someone's knocking on the door.

"Hello?" It's a female's voice. Slowly I open the door and a leafwoman is smiling at me. "Hi, I'm Tia, you must be Mary Katherine."

"Please, call me M.K." She nods.

"Anyway, I didn't mean to trouble you but Nod's still training some of the new recruits and he asked me if I could pass on a message.

"Okay, shoot."

"He said that he probably won't be back until late so grab something to eat and don't wait up."

"Thanks Tia. Would you like to come in?"

"That would be lovely but I have to get going. Maybe we can catch up tomorrow or sometime in the week. I would love to hear about all your adventures as a stomper."

"And I'd love to hear about your adventures as a Leaf Woman."

She laughs. "We're just called Leaf Men."

"Oh okay. Well, I'd love to hear about your adventures as a Leaf Man. When do you want to catch up?"

"Um, how about tomorrow. Nine o'clock. I can cook us a hot breakfast?"

"Sounds good. It'll be nice to make a new friend." We both wave goodbye and I close the door behind me. It will be nice to have a friend that isn't a guy. Someone to talk to about emotions and what not.

-x-

Ten o'clock and I can't get to sleep. I walk downstairs and curl up in front of the fire with a blanket, looking over the last few days. To think that two days ago I didn't believe my father when he told me about these tiny creatures and now, I'm one of them. It's weird how everything can change in a matter of 48 hours. "M.K? I told you not to wait up for me." Nod's voice breaks my train of thought.

"Oh, hey. I couldn't sleep." I say half-heartedly.

"Bad dreams?"

"No. Just couldn't shut my brain off. How was training the newbies?"

"It was fine. They have the potential but need to be more serious about it." I laugh at this. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"I'm not." I say, trying to hold in my giggles. "It's just that a day ago, you were flying solo too."

"I guess something changed me." He looks down at his shoes as I try to figure out what he just said.

"Is something wrong Nod?"

"No, I just, I guess I realized that my dad would have wanted me to become a Leaf Man, a good one. Everything that happened yesterday, I kind of realized who I had to be."

"You're already a great Leaf Man Nod." I walk up to him and place a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"Thanks. I'm gonna' go to bed. Don't stay up too late okay? I want to show you something tomorrow."

"I won't."

-x-

"Is it my house, because I've already seen it?"

"No, I'm not showing you your house. Stop asking. We'll be there soon." After about 10 more minutes of walking we come to a lake, with a large flat rock in the middle.

"Wow!" My breathe is completely taken away. "This is amazing. What are we doing here?"

"I thought I could teach you some archery. It's actually a really fun sport. We have competitions and stuff."

"That does sound like fun. Where do we start?"

"I've hung some targets in the trees surrounding the lake. I'll teach you the basics and then we can do some target practice." We walk on pebbles until we step onto the rock. I actually managed to jump onto it without falling or slipping. "First things first. Grab a bow and an arrow." I do exactly what he says. "Good. Now, hold it like this, make sure the arrow's straight." I mimic his exact movements. "You're a natural M.K. Now just try and hit that target over there. Take your time." I pull back and release. I hit the outside of the target. At least it didn't go out into the woods. "Great job M." I smile. He just gave me a nick name.

"Thanks. Oh my gosh. I totally forgot. I'm supposed to be meeting Tia today."

"When did that happen?"

"When did what happen?"

"You and Tia becoming friends."

"Yesterday. She came by to deliver your message and I suggested we talk."

"Oh. What time?"

"Nine."

"Maybe I should take you to her house. We can continue this when you get back."

"Cool. What are you going to do will I'm gone?"

"Work on your house, if that's alright with you?"

"It would be an honour." He laughs and we pack up everything.

-x-

"Hey Tia! Sorry I'm late. Nod was teaching me how to shoot arrows."

"He is so into you!" I can feel my cheeks redden.

"He's so not. We're just friends."

"Whatever you say." She shrugs it off and we sit down at her table. The food is delicious and I don't even try to stop eating to start a conversation. Thankfully, neither does Tia.

We finish eating and start talking about my old world. It seems like hours since target practise. "Tia, it's been wonderful to talk to you but I should probably get back to shooting arrows."

"Are you practising for anything in particular?"

"I'm not following."

"Are you practising to become a Leaf Man?"

"That sounds like a smart idea. Thanks for putting it in my head Tia. I'm glad we're friends." She hugs me.

"Me too."

**A/N: I'm sorry this is really boring but it will action up soon. Suspense will be brought in to the story as well. Please keep reading because everything will be more exciting after the first few chapters! I've ****only gotten a few reviews but I am thankful for even that. I would really appreciate it though if you could continue to review. If it's too hard I'll plan it out for you okay :)**

**Step 1: Read the Chapter.**

**Step2: Click the 'Review' button.**

**Step 3: Right something kind, ideas, or some constructive criticism.**

**Step 4: Click post.**

**Step 5: Feel good because you've made me smile! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for all your wonderful reviews! They really do brighten up my day :) **

Chapter 3:

"I think that's enough for today."

"Please Nod. I'm not even tired, the suns still up and I'm getting really into it."

"Fine. One more hour."

"Thankyou!" I yell as I grab another arrow. Target practise is a great way to get my mind off everything. Nod is a bit distracting at times, constantly showing how good at this he is, but I don't mind my focus being on him. _Snap out of it. _I mentally slap myself.

"M?" I smile at the nick name he gave me a few days ago.

"Yeah?"

"It's your turn." I nod. I run straight off the edge of the rock, bow raised, and shoot at a target. I hit a bullseye and land on a nearby lily pad. "Wow M.K. You've gotten good. Might even show me up."

"Lucky shot." I whip around, gasping at who stands before me.

"Mandrake, you're alive?" I ask, stalling and distracting him so Nod can attack.

"Yep. Loving the technique of your shooting by the way but it's a lot harder to shoot an actually, moving person than it is to shoot the red circle. Let me demonstrate." He spins and shoots Nod in the leg, then another in the stomach.

"Nod!" Mandrake laughs as I race to the young soldier's side.

"That's just a taste of what I'm going to do to you." I grab an arrow fiercely and attempt to pierce his heart.

"Nice effort sweetheart. I'll see you and the rest of your precious community later." With that he mounts his bird and leaves.

"Nod, hang in there. We'll fix you up." A groan escapes Nod's lips. I lead his bird as close to Nod as possible and carefully lift him onto it. He's heavy but the pain in my arms must be one percent of the pain he's feeling so I push through it. I stop at the Queen's palace and hand Nod over to one of the Leaf Men on duty, then race to find Ronin.

"Ronin! Ronin I need you!" I run straight into the middle of their training grounds. "Nod's been hit with two boggan arrows." Ronin stops immediately.

"Where is he?"

"I took him to the Queen. She needs you to help pull the arrows out."

"Let's go."

-x-

Nod's screams drown out all other noise in the palace. Ronin has already pulled out the first arrow in his leg and the wound was quickly stitched up by the royal Healers. "Ronin, just do it. Please."

"You won't want to see this M.K. I suggest you leave the room."

"No. I'm staying here." I lock my left hand with Nod's and use my other to brush away the hair from his sweat covered forehead. "You're going to be fine. Everything will be alright." He attempts to smile but frowns as Ronin swiftly pulls out the second arrow. The agony he is in has caused him to pass out.

"Good job Commander." I hear one of the healer's say, although his words seem distant.

"Your majesty, it's your turn now." She walks up to Nod's other side, knowing I won't leave. Her hands lay on his leg and a bright light defuses from her palms. She takes away her hand and a small scare is the only visible mark of any wound. She moves on to the bloodied area on his abdomen. Once again she places her hands over the hole and light beams shoot from her small limbs.

"I… can't…" She says between breathes. "M.K, I'm so sorry. My powers aren't strong enough to deal with this much infection."

I can feel my heart drop. I can feel my brain shut down. I don't want to hear what she has just said. "There's another way."

"What?" Ronin and I ask in synchronized hope. The H ealer looks up at us.

"I know of a flower, one found east of Moonhaven, not too far from here. It grows in a hidden cave behind a waterfall. If you can find it, I should be able to make an ointment to stop the infection and fight the bacteria."

"Tell us how to get there and we'll go." Ronin assures the Healer.

"No Ronin. You're the commanding officer, head of the Leaf Men. You know you need to stay here."

"I can't let you go alone M.K."

"I won't be alone. I can take some Leaf Men with me. I'm sure Logan and Tia would come if I asked." I walk up to Ronin and place my hand on his shoulder. "Look Ronin, I know you want to help in any way possible but staying here and keeping an eye on everyone, especially the Queen and Nod is the most important job right now. Please, don't be stubborn, I can do this."

He pulls me into a hug, which I'm sure surprised everybody. "I know you can. Finn, go get Logan and Tia. Explain what's happened. Tell them to pack their things and come back here as soon as possible."

"Healer-" I'm cut off.

"Healer Skye. My name's Healer Skye." She smiles.

"Healer Skye, can you draw me a picture of the falls?"

"Sure." I almost smile back at her but then remember Nod. I go to his side and place my hands in both of his.

"Hang in there soldier." I whisper and kiss his forehead before sitting down and waiting for Tia and Logan.

-x-

A few minutes later Tia arrives and pulls me into a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Sweetie, that's what us girls say when we aren't fine."

"Okay. I'm the complete opposite of fine. It's my fault Nod's on this table. He could die and-" He could die. If we don't find this flower Nod's chances of surviving are very slim. She grabs my hands and forces me to look at her.

"Let's get a few things straight here. One, it is not your fault mandrake shot Nod. Two, he is not going to die because we are going to find that flower. And three, when he wakes up, you are going to tell him how you feel." That last part caught me by surprise.

"What? What do you mean how I feel?"

"It's obvious, to everyone except you two, that you two love each other."

"I'm afraid that's true M.K. Nod never shuts up about you at training." Another Leaf Man says when he walks through the archway.

"Logan, hi."

"Hey, you alright."

"No." I admit. "But I will be." He walks over to Nod.

"You're gonna' pull through buddy."

"Here's that picture you asked for M.K." Healer Skye says.

"Thanks Skye."

"I know where that is!" Tia yells.

"You do?"

"I told you I liked adventuring M.K. One day, I got in a fight with my parents and stormed out of the house. I waked for about four days when I stumbled across that place."

"We better get going. How many days do we have Healer?" Logan asks.

"One. Maybe two if we're lucky."

"Thank god for birds huh?" Logan says trying to lighten the mood.

"I still can't believe you ran away for four days." Ronin adds.

"Yeah. Stupid thing is, the whole argument was between me and my mum over not cleaning up my room." We all laugh at this except my sleeping beauty Nod. It seems our situation and that fairy-tale are very similar. The poisoned apple equals the poisoned arrow and the witch equals Mandrake. Although some aspects of it are completely different. If only true loves kiss could wake up Nod.

**A/N: Dun dun dun! I told you there'd be some action in the next few chapters. What do you think will happen? Where do you think this story is going? Leave a review of your thoughts and feelings on chapter three or the chapters before. Fingers crossed you like my story. xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**** Ciao a tutti! I hope that translated correctly. For those of you who can't read Italian it means, 'Hello everyone.' ****Fun fact for you guys :) Thank you all so much for every single review. I know I only have 14 but I'm super happy to get even that, like honestly, I thought everyone would hate it and I'd end up deleting it but apparently you guys like it so, yay! Anyways, here's the next chapter for all you lovely people. xxx**

Chapter 4:

Tia screams in my ear, causing me to almost fall of my bird. "There it is!"

"Great." Logan sighs.

"Please Loges, try to contain your enthusiasm." I say, my voice coated in sarcasm.

"Sorry. I'm thrilled we found the cave and the waterfall but I _hate_ water and we have to go _through _water. That, I'm not too thrilled about."

"A leaf man afraid of water?" Tia and I giggle as we dismount.

"Well, at least I'm not afraid of owls." Tia glares straight at Logan and walks to the side of the waterfall.

"It looks like you won't have to go through the actual waterfall."

"Thank goodness!" His little freak-out just causes Tia and I to laugh harder. We calmly walk into the cave and spot the flower straight away. It's merely growing through a crack in a large quartz stone. The whole setting is breathtaking now that I actually pay attention to my surroundings. The cave walls glisten with sparkling, meteoric rocks, the floor looks like it's been walked on a thousand times and then polished, causing it to reflect our faces. "This is just too easy." Logan laughs. He goes up to the flower but about a meter and a half away from it he stops.

"Loges? What are you doing? Just grab the flower already." I plead.

"M.K I can't. It's like there's something protecting it.

At that second a lady's voice starts to speak. It sounds like an older woman. Her voice is worn and tired but calming and caring at the same time. "You wish to take the Iris."

I jump in. "I'm sorry, the what?"

"The Iris. It's the flower you seek." She speaks with a know-it-all tone that I dislike but because I can't see her, I can't tell whether she's doing it deliberately or not. "In order to retrieve the flower, you must all sacrifice one of your most prized possessions. Are you willing?"

"Yes." We sound cautious but proceed.

"Place the items on the small ledge to your right. Once all objects are there, the force field will vanish and you can collect the Iris. I must warn you, it only stays alive for a few hours so if you want to have it for longer, you will need to place it in a container with soil, water and oxygen." That's the last words she says.

Logan takes of his necklace. "This is my lucky charm. It's a tooth I knocked out of a boggan in my first battle. I've held onto it for years." He places it on the ledge with a look of happiness not sadness. I don't quite understand but I turn my attention to Tia.

"I'm going to hand in my favourite bracelet. My father and mother made it a few days after I was born. I where it everywhere."

"Guys, you don't have to give up your special things."

"Yes we do M.K." Logan places a hand on my shoulder. "We have to do this for Nod." I let a depp breathe escape my lips as I walk over to the shelf.

"Your turn." Tia smiles.

My hand goes to my chest where the small, heart shaped necklace is. Engraved on the back are the words, _'With love, mom.'_ It's simple but meaningful.She gave it to me for my 10th birthday and I have never taken it off. "I guess I'll give this up." I put it on the pile with the other possessions and hug the other two leafmen.

"Whoa. The force field just like, sparkled and then like, disappeared!" Tia seriously sounds like a kid in a candy store. "Here M.K, look after this gorgeous floral plant while we go find some leaves and vines to make a pot."

"Don't take too long!" I yell at them as they run off into the forest.

-x-

Deep in thought about everything, life, love and happiness, I get startled when the elderly lady's voice comes back. "Something troubling you dear?"

"No. Just uh, just thinking."

"About what?" She questions.

A nosey Grandma, great. "You know, it's very hard to have a conversation with someone I can't see, but I need to vent and you seem pretty wise."

"Wiser than you will ever know."

"It's just, I gave up the last piece I had of my mom."

"But you did it to save someone you love." I jump at the last word. Love? I don't, no, not. "I can sense how deeply you care for the young man. Why else would you give up the last piece of your mom?"

I contemplate this for a few seconds. One, how'd she know the person we're trying to save is a man and two, how is she so smart? "You _are _wiser than I'll ever know." A tone of surprise comes with my words.

"We're back!" And the voice is gone. "It took so long to find a small enough part of a leaf but we did. Look, it's even got soil already in it!"

"You did good Tia." She smiles happily at me and notions for me to put the flower in. As I do Logan comes over with some water and pours it around the roots.

"Good to go?" They both nod. "Okay then. Let's go save our friend."

"And you boyfriend!" Tia adds and Logan whistles.

"We aren't even dating."

"A girl can dream."

"Yeah but _dreams _should be private."

"Tia don't pout like that. You look like Ozzy." I chuckle.

"Who the hell is Ozzy?"

"My dog back in the stomper world."

"Well whatever a dog is. I'm sure it's attractive so I'll take that as a compliment. Thankyou."

-x-

Nod's P.O.V:

My heads pounding. My stomachs throbbing. If I said I was in hell, it would be the understatement of the year. I tease my eyes open and see Ronin. "Hey buddy, how you feeling?" I groan in reply. "Yeah I thought as much. Don't worry, Logan, Tia and M.K are-"

"M.K?" I spring upright, ignoring the pain in my side. "Is she okay? Where is she?"

Ronin pushes me back down gently. "She's fine. You, on the other hand, are not. You were shot with two boggan arrows when you were teaching M.K a thing or two. The Queen was unable to heal you so M.K, Tia and Logan went into a forest east of here, in search of a flower that has medicinal qualities. Healer Skye said that if they could get their hands on it she would be able to produce a cure for the infection in your stomach. It won't completely clear it out of your system but it will stop the rot from spreading and it'll give your body the chance to re-cooperate and fight back."

"That's a lot to take in." I sigh. "At least M.K's okay."

"She wasn't until she knew there was a way to save you. She tried to put on a brave face but I could see straight through her mask. She was scared for you Nod. Really, really terrified you wouldn't pull through. She blamed herself for what happened."

"What do you mean, "She blamed herself."? What actually happened?"

"Mandrake was the one that shot you. She thought it was her fault because she made you keep practising and she couldn't fight him off."

None of this is her fault. "When will they be back?"

"Well, Tia said it would take, one or two days to get there, depending on the weather and they left two days ago so they should be back either tonight or tomorrow morning."

"I was un-conscious for two whole days?!"

"Yeah, it's a pretty nasty wound, you lost a lot of blood. Try to get some rest. I promise you, if M.K comes back I'll wake you up." I lift my head up and down slowly.

Drifting to sleep, I dream of a beautiful girl with green eyes and red hair.

**A/N: There you go lovelies! Did you love it? Did you hate it? Was it average? Leave me a review and tell me what you think. You could even tell me a bit about yourself, you never know, it might start a really interesting convo. P.S I think I'm gonna hold off on M.K and Nod actually finding out their feelings for each other for a few more chapters because I just love all the flirty/cute/innocent moments between them and I want to write a few more awkward and adorable things before the intense romance comes along. But it will soon, don't worry, it will! *cheeky laughter* **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is just a quick authors note (I'll leave a slightly longer one at the bottom) explaining that I want to try writing in narrator P.O.V. I just think it will be a lot easier to show people's emotions. This is the first time I've written a story this way so I'm sorry if it's terrible. Anyways, this is just a test run and if you like this way better then review or PM me and say so :) **

Chapter 5:

Nod's chest rising and falling with a constant rhythm was the only thing reassuring M.K he was alive. When her mother was taken from her she never got the chance to see her chest move in that way. When she found out about her mother's death she felt the life drain from her body. Her happy, up-beat personality and spirit sink into the darkest corner of her heart. It was at that moment she felt certain that she would never truly be happy again.

Then, she met a carefree guy, destined on going his own way, and she knew he would help her recover the 'light' side of herself. He managed to make her feel alive again, _whole _again. Something the people she once knew had deemed impossible.

As he lay there, simply sleeping, she decided to take this opportunity to rest herself. Although she didn't want to have him wake and her be sleeping, she knew she would have to close her eyes some time.

"Wake me up as soon as he wakes up Ronin." The grey haired leafman doesn't really acknowledge her but she hears him grunt as a reply. She lets her eyes glide over Nod once more, before drifting off to sleep. The ointment is stopping the infection and his body is slowly recovering.

Ronin looked at the sleeping teens. Both had become children to him, even though he had known M.K for a measly week or so, she was the kind of person you grew close to quickly. He has known Nod ever since he was born and had known his father even longer. When he was dying his last wish was that Ronin take care of Nod, which he agreed to hastily. Ever since then he has tried his hardest to look after the independent man. They had only realized how much they needed each other on the day they both met M.K.

A disturbing groan breaks his train of thought and he stares over at the injured young man. "Ronin?"

"I'm over here idiot." He laughs as Nod looks around quickly.

"The pains subsiding." He sits up slowly. "It still hurts but not nearly as much as I remember."

Ronin lets out a shaky breath. How can he admit how worried he was for his 'adoptive' son? He was scared as hell that his friend wouldn't pull through and he didn't. He was scared that Nod would face the same fate.

"Hey Nod. I'm glad to see you're awake." Finn says as he enters the room. Nod doesn't take much notice to the soldier. All his attention is on Mary Katherine.

"What's wrong Finn?"

"Three boggan scouts we're spotted circling the sky above. They're gone now but Tristan thought you should be kept up to date. We believe they're looking for a way into the settlement without being spotted."

The older soldier of the three nods. "I'll head to Wrathwood, see if I can pick up any information about their plan."

"Do you need me to come with you?"

"Nod my dear fellow, even though you wish you weren't, you're injured. Stay here. I'll go with Ronin okay?" Nod want's to decline Finns offer, want's to insist he's capable but instead his head moves up and down and he says goodbye to both men.

They leave and Nod turns his head to face M.K. "I need a pickup line." He thinks to himself. "Do you have a Band-Aid? I just scraped my knee falling for you. N to the O. Do you have a map? I'm getting lost in your eyes. Too mushy, too fast. Is there an airport nearby or is that just my heart taking off? Oh god. Too corny. She'll think I'm a creep." After a few more moments of deliberating he comes up with the perfect line to get the girls attention. "I hope I don't forget it while she sleeps." Just in case he replays it in his head over and over until she starts to stir.

"M?" He loves calling her that. It makes him feel like he's known her for years. She mumbles to him to go away and then it dawned on her who was speaking.

"Nod!" He only hesitated for a brief second before he returned M.K's embrace, his breath stolen from him the moment she had touched him. He had one hand cradling the back of her head as she pressed her face into his chest. He was warm and she soaked up that heat, a physical sign he was getting better.

"You two are disgustingly sweet." M.K flushed as she heard the voice of Logan. "Seriously, I think I'm getting cavities just watching you both." Utterly embarrassed they turn away from each other and Logan laughs loudly.

"What's so funny?" Nod glares at Logan. They were having such a nice moment until he decided to ruin it.

"It's nothing. Just the fact that you two can be completely clueless at times."

"What do you mean?" The young girl asks, also quite annoyed at Logan's intrusion. He shakes his head and chuckles to himself again.

"Anyway, Nod, you feeling any better?"

"Heaps. Thank you both for going and getting that flower. You guys are the best."

"Hey Buddy, if you left, who would I pick on?" They all sat around talking about life when they were younger, before they had any responsibilities. They talked about their parents and their closest family. They talked about their dreams and hopes. Having shared so many memories, by the end of the night each one of them felt closer to the others than they were before.

Logan said his farewells and once again the two of them were left alone. "I'm glad you're okay." M.K says, breaking the comfortable silence.

"I'm glad you weren't the one to be shot. I'm not sure if I could have handled it," In fact he was completely sure he wouldn't have handled it. He would have broken down.

"If it makes you feel any better I didn't cope very well. The whole thing was my fault and I beat myself up every time I see those gashes." She points to Nod's leg.

The soldier grabs onto both of M.K's hands. "None of this is your fault. Not one thing. Mandrake was the one that shot me. You have no control over what he does. Get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise." She nods slowly and lies on a small bed near Nod's. As much as she wants to believe his kind words, she can't. If he had died she would have never forgiven herself.

**A/N: So? Was it good or bad? Did you like that style of writing more or less? Leave your thoughts in the form of a review :). One lovely reader and I have started a really nice conversation all from a review. Shout out to MellarkMania103. Go check out her account. She has amazing stories on there! **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Oh my gosh you guys I am so sorry! About a day after I updated my mum sprung a surprise overseas trip on me. I had no time to tell anyone and it lasted for about a month. We have also just moved into a new house and the Wi-Fi isn't set up yet so this won't be posted until the 23****rd**** or 24****th****. So here I am, feeling like the meanest person in the world but I'll update when I can. I have two other stories that I also have to update so I can't promise a regular time but I can promise that I'll try my hardest to please you guys! Also, thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews (35 ahhhh!) and all the views (4,000 ahhhh!) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot. I wish I owned M.K and Nod because if I did, well, let's just say they'd be married by now. Hehe joking! **

Chapter 6:

"Nod I'm just saying, I want to be able to help if something like this happens again. Becoming a leafman would be the ultimate way to keep people safe." Even in the dim light of Nod's living room, M.K could make out his expression; strong and stern.

"M.K it's far too dangerous. There are so many other jobs you could do. You could-"

"No. Two days ago you were lying on a bed, barely holding on to life. Now I'm staying in your house to look after you. If I was trained as a leafman I could have prevented all this." Her voice came out a lot more confident than how she felt. Her stubbornness had taken over and she was not giving in because her friend used puppy dog eyes. "Did I ever tell you how my mother died?"

Shocked at the sudden question Nod just shakes his head. The young girl sits next to him on the floor and stares into thin air. "She was in the military. That's like the leafmen of my world. She went into war with Japan. We had won and so naturally, the minute we heard, my father and I organised a small family get together as a surprise when she got back. A few days later we got a call from her commanding officer. 'Your mother's body has been recovered Mary Katherine. I'm sorry for your loss.'"

At this point Nod had grabbed hold of M.K's hand and squeezed it gently. She leant her head on his shoulder and continued, "I didn't believe it at first. I guess I was just in shock and my mind wasn't processing it clearly. After I had finally accepted she was gone I blamed everything on dad. I remember thinking my mother used the military as a way to get away from my father and his crazy ideas. Once I'd come to this conclusion I ran. I left my dad, the house, the memories, and moved to the loudest city I could think of, New York. I believed that if there was enough going on around me I'd get distracted and forget about the sorrow I felt when I hung up that phone." M.K hadn't realized the tears that silently streamed down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be. That's the reason why I want to become a leafmen. The last two weeks or so have been a rollercoaster of emotions but all the feelings revolve around you. I feel as though I've known you for my whole life. It feels like you're my best friend and I could tell you anything. The last time I felt like that was with my mum. I'd rather fight alongside you on a mission than wait for the news that you're missing or hurt or dead. This is the only way I can make sure you're okay." He put an arm around M.K's shoulder and pulled her closer, if that were even possible.

"Only if you stay where I can see you." He whispered. It takes her a while to register what he just said.

"Really?" He nods. "Well good because I would have become one with or without your blessing."

"I know you would." He lets go of her hand and stands up abruptly. "We should probably get some rest. Ronin will be back in the morning and we'll have to run this past him."

"Right. Of course. Do you need anything before we go our separate ways?"

"No, I think I'm good. I'll wake you up if you start snoring." M.K tries to act offended but laughs and walks to the guest bedroom.

-x-

"Nod get up. Ronin got back half an hour ago. He wants to debrief everyone." He groaned as she pulled the covers off his bed. She immediately felt guilty for exposing his bare chest. Fortunately, his bottom half was covered. _More like un-fortunately. _M.K shook her head to get rid of that thought and told him she had to get a few things from her house and that she'd see him there. 

Along the way she saw a few familiar faces. She'd stop and chat for a few minutes before continuing on her way. Walking past the training ground she saw Grub practising with a stick sword and a homemade helmet. He was using a tree as an opponent and M.K struggled to hold in a laugh. Grub did a sort of wave thing to her seeing as how he didn't have actual arms or hands. She smiled in his direction and walked over to Tia.

"So how'd it go?"

"He took some convincing but finally, he gave in."

Tia gave M.K a quick hug. "That's awesome! You're gonna be a leafman."

"I know right. Soon I'll be leaving bruises on everything that walks."

"Maybe giving you a weapon isn't such a good idea."

"Ha-ha! You're funny." M.K says with sarcasm. "But seriously. Do you think I've got what it takes?"

"Definitely. Plus, you'll have lover boy to protect you." Several other soldiers turned and made kissy faces as Tia said this.

"I have no idea what you guys are talking about." But clearly she did because her cheeks burned a deep crimson and she rushed off in the direction of her new home. "Nod doesn't like me in that way." She told herself for the hundredth time. "We're just friends. Yeah, just friends."

"M.K!" A familiar voice shouted.

"Ronin? I thought we were meeting up at the council hall." The soldier stopped running and walked next to her.

"Yes we are. I just overheard your discussion with Tia. Is it true you're considering joining us?" She nodded confidently. "And you're absolutely sure?"

"I've never been surer of anything. Except maybe the time we were baking a cake and my dad said one egg and I said two but really, putting just one egg in the mixture doesn-" She stopped herself when she noticed she was rambling. "Sorry. Yes I'm positive."

"Well okay then. It'll be good to have such a spirited, young soldier." They both smiled and walked the rest of the way in a peaceful quiet. "I better let you get dressed." She looked down, forgetting she was in nothing but a flower petal night dress. "Don't worry about wearing anything old like pants and a top. We won't be training until tomorrow."

"Good to know. Thanks for being so understanding Ronin." And with that, the two went their separate ways. M.K went inside and changed into a dress much like the one she had first worn on the night the pod bloomed. It had a white petal bodice with purple tulip petals for a skirt. It didn't end at her knees however. It ended at her ankles, just high enough that it wouldn't drag along the ground as she walked. M.K usually wasn't the type of girl to wear dresses but she felt as though she could wear these flower ones every day. They made her feel pretty. No pretty wasn't the word. They made her feel _beautiful. _

After she brushed her hair she placed it in a half up half down do and left her house. Logan was walking past at the time and offered her his arm. She curtsied like a proper lady before taking his arm and they both laughed as they walked towards the council hall. It was situated on the same side of Moonhaven as the Queen's palace so it wasn't that far to walk.

"So what's new with you Loges?"

"Well. I do have a little piece of gossip but you have to promise not to tell a soul."

M.K was giddy with excitement. "I swear."

"Tia has a thing for Seth."

"Wait, which ones Seth?"

"You know. He has blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. He's tall and muscled, tanned and strong. He's an excellent fighter and he's also really kind hearted."

"Sounds like you've got a crush on him as well Aphrodite." M.K jokes and laughs for a few seconds before turning back to Logan.

"Who's Aphrodite?"

"Oh gosh, that's right. Um, Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love."

"What's Greek?"

"Oh forget it. Maybe I should start telling everyone stories from my world. When did you find out about Tia liking Seth?"

"Only this morning. Seth told Tia that he has liked her for about a month now and Tia confessed that she felt the same. They aren't telling anyone for a few more days though."

"Why wouldn't Tia tell me?" The young girl asked, trying not to sound hurt. Tia was her friend from the moment they met and M.K felt a bit betrayed.

"I wouldn't worry about it Princess."

"Princess?"

"Yeah, that's what you look like. Anyway, she _did _make a promise not to say anything."

"How do you know about this if they agreed not to tell anyone?"

"Simple. I was eavesdropping." The look on the young girls face made it clear to Logan that she was disgusted. "Hey! I didn't mean to. Nature called and as I was, you know, in the bushes doing my business, I heard the two talking. I couldn't just waddle away with my pants down could I?"

"Hey guys!" And with that greeting from Katrina, M.K thought it was, the conversation ended.

"Hey Kat! We were just talking about Seth and Tia." Logan greeted her and jumped straight into the couple of the day.

"Oh those two are sooooooo going to get together."

"Newsflash Grandma, they already are together." Logan's comment sent M.K into a fit of laughter.

"What?"

"Yeah they're secretly dating." M.K added whilst calming down her giggles.

"Well good for those two. Everyone knew it was bound to happen eventually. Come on lets go inside." As they walked towards the small building M.K couldn't help but wonder if people said that about her and Nod. She picked up on everyone 'subtle' hints occasionally but half the time it sounded like they were just teasing her.

"M.K?" Katrina shakes her shoulders.

"Sorry. Just thinking."

"About that handsome guy at the head of the table that can't stop gawking at you?"

She turned her head and there was Nod, sitting at the end of the table, clearly starring at her. He broke out of his trance and smiled at her. She sat a few seats away from him, much to her disappointment, and waited for Ronin to begin. The words that left his mouth was something none of them had _really_ expected.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here you go. I'll be doing a few quick updates because of how long I made you guys wait. In this one I do talk about the seasons and here in Australia we have Summer, Autumn (which is when all the leaves fall and die. I think all my American readers call it Fall?), Winter and Spring I'm sorry if it's a bit confusing but hopefully you can forgive me. I'm not too sure how your seasons are different but here in Australia Summer is hot, Winter is cold, Spring is flowery and Autumn is the opposite of Spring. Am I just making you more confused? I'm sorry. **

**Also, someone reviewed saying that they thought M.K should be shyer. I'll let you know now that they will be expressing their true feelings soon. I did make M.K a little more 'upfront' than M.K because I wanted it to be the kind of 'one shy person, one person placing subtle hints' kind of thing. Does that make sense? I'm sorry. It's about 3 in the morning and I've been writing an essay. **

Chapter 7:

"Mandrake is planning a war. I know we've all been thinking it was a possibility but it's unlike anything we could have imagined. His battle strategy, his weapons, his soldiers. We've all underestimated him. I didn't find out when they'll be striking us but I do know that the level of force he's planned for this war will take time to prepare, especially because his troops are complete idiots."

The room's immediately filled with questions. What weapons do they have? How many boggans? When's lunch break?

"Quiet!" A strong voice yells and to M.K's surprise, it's hers. "There are many obstacles we face coming into this war. One, Mandrake definitely has the element of surprise. He could attack today or he could attack weeks from now. Two, we lost a lot of good people in the last battle and our army hasn't got nearly enough men and women to hold off Mandrake's for long. We need more numbers." Everyone sat there shocked as, a slightly befuddled M.K, took her seat again.

"M.K's right. Because of our few soldiers we can't attack them. If we tried, we'd fail, we all know that. The best we can do is set up a good defence line around Moonhaven and go to our brothers for help." Everyone nodded in agreement. M.K made a mental note to thank Nod later. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up this confident act and she'd only made one minor speech.

"Then it's settled. We'll take five soldiers to our neighbours' realms and ask them for their assistance. The rest of us will work on our weapons and our defences. I need five volunteers." Nod stood up at the same time as M.K. Katrina went up next. Followed by Logan and Seth. "Good. You will travel to our brethren and ask them for aid in this difficult time. You leave as soon as everyone is packed." Nod took M.K's arm and pulled her out of the building.

"Why'd you do that?" His voice was a mixture of anger and concern.

"Do what?"

"Volunteer for this mission. It's dangerous."

"This morning you said I could become a leafman. That means I'll be going on missions like this. I figured I better go seeing as how you'll be on this one with me." The brown haired boy smiled at that.

"Just so you know. I'm glad you're coming. Earlier you said I was 'like' your best friend but I want you to know, you are my best friend. I haven't talked about my dad to anyone, not even Logan or Seth. They're my best friends as well but I feel closer to you."

"Thank you Nod." She kissed him on the cheek to show her appreciation and said, "Once you've packed I have something to give to you. Meet me at my house."

-x-

M.K had just finished changing into her jeans and white singlet when Nod came through her door. "M?" She heard a slight rise in the boy's voice but decided it was probably because the room was slightly chilly. The china the teapot was made out of helped keep the small house cool on hot days.

"Hey! I found it." She said with a smile.

"Found what?"

"The thing I was going to give you. Close your eyes. Stretch out your hands." He did as he was told and she placed it in his open palms. "It's an anklet I made. I was wearing it when I got shrunk so it got shrunk too. I want you to have it. That way, if we're ever apart you can have a piece of me. Best friends stick together right?"

"Thanks! I really like it."

"Do you even know how to put it on? Or where?"

"No." The boy answered a little embarrassed.

"It goes around your ankle."

"I'd rather it be around my wrist. That way I can see it." M.K thought that was a good idea so she tied it on his left wrist. "Soldiers are allowed one piece of jewellery on the field. I'm glad this is it." When M.K looked up from the bracelet Nod was so close to her face they almost touched noses.

"Aloha you two!" Logan came bursting through the door. Nod let out a soft moan to say hi and M.K gave him a death stare. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. I just came to say we're all packed and ready to go."

"Thanks Loges."

"We'll be right down." Nod said. Once Logan the intruder had left Nod found his courage. "M.K I just wanted you to know that I… uh… I…" And just like that it was gone again.

"You look like you're gonna be sick. Is everything okay?"

"Mmm? Yeah. I'll… uh… tell you later."

"Alright? We better get going then." They walked down the toadstool steps and met up with their friends sitting under a nearby bush. "Where are we actually going Nod? You mentioned something about your brothers? I didn't know you had siblings."

"Not _my _brothers. _Moonhaven's _brothers."

"And they are?"

Katrina chimed in. "The beach, the woods, the valley."

"Still no clue. Bit more detail?"

This time Seth tried to explain. "Here in Moonhaven, we represent the season of Spring. Beforium represents the season of Autumn. Roordane represents the season of Winter and Heymian represents the season of Summer."

"And what does Wrathwood represent?"

"Well it doesn't represent a season. Moonhaven, as I said, represents Spring and but it also represents light. Wrathwood represents darkness."

"Okay I think I'm up to date. So, which realm first?"

"Heymian is closest but still quite far, then Beforium and then Roordane."

"Now before we go anywhere we need to go through the guidelines of this trip. No wondering off from the group unless someone else knows where you're going or goes with you. For instance, if Kat has to go get water Skylar could go with her after he told either, myself, Seth or M.K." They all nodded and he continued. "When we get to our destination, you must never be rude. You bow to the King and/or Queen and greet them in a respectful manner. If they refuse to give up their soldiers do NOT burst your bubble. No matter how much anger you feel don't forget your position and theirs. Are we clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Logan yelled and they all ignored him. Sure they thought he was funny but there's no point encouraging him.

"Let's go then. We need to grab three birds. There will be two to a bird and one bird will have one passenger and the food supplies. Seth and Kat, me and M.K and Logan, you've got the food."

"Best partner ever!"

"You're not allowed to eat any of it wise guy." Katrina added.

"What?" Logan sounded genuinely hurt, like he couldn't believe the food would be so close but he couldn't devour it all. "Can't I at least nibble?" The whole group yelled 'no' at once and Logan gave in.

"So, you said Heymian is the first place we'll visit. How far from here is it?"

Seth sighed. "Logan, do you ever listen?" The boy merely shrugged. "It's about a day and a half's ride. If we travel all day today and set up camp tonight we should get there by night time tomorrow, seeing as how it's-" He glanced upward, "almost midday."

"Let's go over to the keep and grab us some feathered friends shall we?"

-x-

"Okay guys. I was thinking. Seeing as how you have all told me so much about your world, I was thinking I could share a bit from the Stomper's world. What do you reckon? Myths, Gods, Pop bands and the eleven secret herbs and spices from KFC?" The rest of the group looked bewildered at the last few words.

"Um. Sure?"

"Great!" The young girl then proceeded to tell them many things. She told them about Greek gods and goddesses. She told them about superheroes like Spiderman and Wonder Woman. She spoke about huge cities like New York, Paris and Istanbul. She described board games like Cluedo and when she finally finished everyone's eyes seemed to flicker with excitement and she could see a hint of wonder in their irises.

"Keep going M.K." Katrina urged the red head on.

"I really shouldn't. It got dark hours ago."

"Fine. But more tomorrow. Seth, Logan, let's go grab some water. M.K, Nod, you uh, guard base camp."

-x-

After sitting in the dark, in silence, for over an hour M.K finally grew impatient and spoke up. "Nod, do you think the other realms will offer us any help?"

"It's hard to say for sure. They can sometimes be, unpredictable."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Did I thank you for the bracelet?" Nod asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

"I think so. I don't really remember." It was true. She couldn't remember the earlier events of the day. Being alone with Nod was a huge distraction.

"Well, just in case, thank you. It means a lot." She smiled at him. He believed she could light up any room with that smile.

"You're very welcome. Where are the others? It's been ages since they left." As if on cue three bumbling teens walked into view.

"What happened to you guys? Where the water?"

Kat mumbled something about tripping over and dropping it all but could barely be heard over Logan's voice. "Sacagawea here got us lost." Whilst everyone else laughed at this comment Seth protested.

"So you won't pay attention to a simple geography lesson given by our Commanding Officer but you'll gladly listen to M.K's stories about Indian ladies?"

"What can I say, she's a good story teller."

**A/N: Please review! I want to thank you all for reviewing. I will start thanking you personally again. I know I've missed a few of you but I lost track of who I had thanked and who I hadn't when I was AFK. P.S if you know what AFK means you're either an I.T crowd fan or a computer nerd. **

**I made you cookies **(**::**)(**::**)(**::**)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know I said I'd update quickly but we had back to school exams and essays to write and study for so I didn't have much free time. And I'm trying to read House of Hades whenever I possibly can. Please don't hate me!**

Chapter 8:

"M.K, can you tell us more about upstairs?" The group was currently sitting around a small fire, the chill in the morning air keeping them awake.

"Don't we have to get going?" Katrina shook her head and so the young girl continued. "Well, I guess I could tell you about Harry Potter. Or strange beliefs of Vampires and werewolves."

"That sounds good."

"Harry Potter was the main character in a series of seven books by an author named J.K Rowling. She based the stories around Harry and it was all about witches and wizards, both good and bad. Harry was the Hero and Voldemort, the dark lord, was the villain. They learnt magical spells and secret potions too. He had two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. As for the werewolves. They were men that could change form into wolves and vampires were people who never slept and drank blood. If you're Edward Cullen you might even sparkle."

"I bet that reels in the babes. Eh?" With a lot of eye rolling and talk of drop bears from down under the five set off once again.

"Nod, how long until we reach Heymian?"

"Seth said we should get there by this afternoon. We gained a bit of time this morning."

"Are the people from Heymian 'unpredictable'?" He shook his head and that was his answer. They didn't talk until they we're close to the summer realms' borders.

"Maybe we should stop here for something to eat. We should be there in half an hour, seeing as how we have to walk from here."

"Sounds good to me. What about you guys?" Logan, Seth and Katrina agreed with M.K and landed their birds.

"We should probably tie them up though right?"

"I wouldn't worry about it M. They come when they're called." The boys walked ahead to find a place to rest.

"He calls you M?" She whispered. "That is adorable."

"He's been calling me that for a while. You've never noticed?"

"I guess my focus has been on other things." She said it as if she was in a dream she didn't want to wake up from.

"Like what?"

"Nothing. Nothing… Come on. If we don't start walking we'll lose sight of the boys."

"Is that it over there?" Seth asked.

"That's got to be it." Logan stated.

"Yep. That's it." Nod added.

"Guys, that isn't just 'it'. That's Heymian." They were sitting on a rock on a secluded beach. The sun was setting behind the giant sand castle. The details of the sculpture were extraordinary, even from the distance of two human metres it was obvious to all five that the realm of summer was a majestical place.

"Well then let's go."

"Not so fast Logan. We don't want to run in there without a plan. Don't have your weapons out, it might be seen as a threat and we don't want to make a bad first impression. If we're let inside we must request to see the King immediately." Nod spoke, his voice hard with authority.

"Okay, now that we've got the game plan set down by Darth Vader, can we leave?"

M.K laughed at Logan. "I've taught you well, young Jedi."

Rolling his eyes, Nod ordered that they set off. "We should be there soon." And with that they started walking again.

-x-

The sun had just gone down by the time they reached the giant castle. Logan had to make a stop to pee and had to walk all the way up a mini sand dune to do so and that made Katrina kind of annoyed. "Couldn't you have just waited until we got here?" She asked when they were about a minute away from reaching the drawbridge over the moat.

"It's made of sand? I'm not sure what their toilet system is." The two stopped to continue their argument.

"Fine but next time, hold it in until there's a place that doesn't require taking a detour."

"If I need to go. I need to go."

Katrina made her last comment, "Whatever Bird Brain.", before she caught up with the rest of the group, Logan hot on her tail.

The guards at the gatehouse looked at them with an expression of confusion. Nod quickly introduced himself. "My name's Nod. I'm a soldier from the ranks of Moonhaven and I wish to speak to your King about an upcoming battle." He projected his voice in a powerful but easy way, it was hard to believe that almost two weeks ago he had quit his Leafmen duties. The guards raised their swords. "Please, lower your weapons, our quarrel is not with you but with Mandrake."

"You only want to talk with our King?" One of the guard asked.

"Yes. If you want, we can leave our weapons here. My father was a friend of your Kings and I know that none of the people here are a threat." To make a point of his last statement Nod unsheathed his dagger and laid it on the ground. He then put down his quiver of arrows and his bow. The rest of them followed suit. Katrina put down her long bow and arrows. Seth put down his sword and Logan put down his two daggers. By the time they had finished one of the guards came to put their things away on a nearby shelf inside the city's walls.

"You may come in. Dawson, inform the King. We have guests from Moonhaven." The younger guard of the two rushed off quickly and tripped over a small container. "I'm sorry for his jitteriness. He's not used to outsiders. I'm Laine. Follow me." He led them through a maze of sandy walls and staircases. There was a range of courtyards and large rooms. The castle had many windows and the hallways were large enough to fit five or so people across. The whole structure was compacted tightly so no grain of sand was loose.

"M can you believe this place?" Nod asked in awe. "I mean, sure Moonhaven's got some nice architecture and all but this is something I've never seen before. My father talked about it a lot but I never imagined it to be this big. Or this beautiful."

"I know exactly what you mean. Everything has been designed perfectly. Every room has something that connects it to another, yet every room is completely different."

"I'm sorry to interrupt. I do love hearing what people say about our city but we're here now. King Jiles is waiting."

"Thanks." Logan whispered as the guard left and they entered the Kings' throne room.

"I've been informed that you five are from the spring realm and that you want to speak with me about a war that the master of darkness is preparing for? Is this correct?"

Katrina took a bow. "Yes Your Majesty. You see, only weeks ago our men defeated Mandrake and his army but he was never really disposed of. Our Commanding Officer Ronin snuck into Wrathwood and overheard the master of darkness discussing war plans with some of his boggins. We left as soon as we heard the news."

"And you want me to give up some of my men to assist you in the fight?" The King's words weren't exactly angry but they were hesitant.

Seth jumped in, "Yes, Your Highness. We-"

"Please call me Jiles. I hate it when people call me by 'my lord' or 'your royal excellence', so boring.

"Right, well Jiles, as you said we need aid in the upcoming war. We lost many soldiers but barely put a dint in Mandrake's army. I am not sure whether Roordane will give up their troops. They're not always cooperative and as for the realm of autumn, well, they can be none to choose the wrong side as well. You have always been seen as a noble and reasonable King. You have always done what's right and that is why we believe you will help us."

"Your speech is convincing and unlike the other Kings and Queens, I promise to give you some of my men. I cannot guarantee every single soldier, for if the fighting spreads over all areas- we will need to be defended too, but I can give you at least two thirds of my men. Providing you come back here if the war diffuses any further."

"Thank you my, uh I mean, Jiles. This is very kind." Nod added.

"I know your Queen would do the same for me. Come, I will personally escort you to my ranks. From there I will explain your situation."

**A/N: Is it too boring? Too bland? I promise things spice up when they visit another kingdom. **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

"That went well." Logan said with a smile plastered on his face.

"We don't even know what the King's saying to his men. For all we know he could be giving orders to kill us and the rest of Moonhaven. That whole happy facade could be a hoax. So, calm down."

Logan pretended to be hurt. He put his hand on his hurt and his mouth formed into an o. "Sorry Nod. I can't help being in a good mood. Why are you being so uptight?"

"If you knew you wouldn't be calling me uptight." The young man's voice was starting to get bitter and Seth stepped between the two.

"Logan, would you kindly do us all a massive favour and chat with the girls. I'm going to try and sort things out with little Miss Angry." As Logan took a seat a few steps away Seth started up a conversation with Nod. "I hate to agree with Logan but you've been an ass **(pardon my language) **for 95% of this trip. What's going on?"

With a small, tired sigh, Nod began talking. "Before we went on the trip Ronin pulled me aside and asked me to keep an eye on you all. He basically put the responsibility of this quest in my hands. When I look back on the times I treated him badly and ignored my duties, I… I guess I want to make up for that. Besides, I want to make my dad proud. This is the first time I've been on an 'excursion' since my dad…" Nod couldn't bring himself to say the word to finish that sentence. He'd been dealing with it for so long but it was still so hard to talk about.

"Hey man, I get it," Seth put a hand on his friends shoulder. "but this isn't all on your shoulders. You have four other people with you. If you want you can take a break from leader and I'll step in?"

"Thanks but I can handle it. As long as Logan stays off my case I'll be fine."

"If you need anything…"

"Just jump." They both laughed at the running joke they'd had since they were little. Neither of them could remember why it was so funny to their seven year old selves but ever since that day it was something they shared. It was a sentence that basically meant 'I'm here for you'.

Only a few minutes later, the King stepped out of the great hall. Then, about four hundred or so soldiers followed. "And we we're worried he wouldn't lend us any." M.K came over to Seth and Nod.

"'Lend' means I'll get them back." Jiles walked up to the three of them.

"If we have anything to say about it you will Sir." Seth answered.

"Good. I had a nice meeting with my men and we organised that two hundred and thirty seven men exactly will travel to Moonhaven. There, they will train with your soldiers."

Logan pooped his head over Nod's shoulder. "See, told you it was easy."

"Whatever weirdo."

Logan punched his arm, said, "There's the Nod we know and love!" and ran off in the direction of the gate house.

"Why is he in such a hurry?" Someone around had asked the group.

"I think he misses Clancy and Nancy." Katrina answered.

Another soldier looked dumbfounded. "Who? You didn't bring more outsiders here without our knowledge did you?"

Seth laughed and patted him on the back. "That's just what he named his daggers."

Sure enough when Jiles and a few other men walked Seth, Nod, M.K and Katrina back to their weapons Logan was sitting in the sand, polishing one of his daggers with his shirt. When the young man saw the small group he shot up, put both daggers in their separate holsters and headed towards them. "Nod, we should probably get going. If we ride for a few hours we can find somewhere to camp and in a day or two we should reach our second destination."

"So, off to Roordane?" Katrina asked. The three boys shrugged their shoulders and looked down at the soft sand.

M.K stared at the three young men. "I'm guessing by the way you guys are acting Roordane isn't as nice as Heymian?"

"None of us has ever been there before but we've heard the myths and rumours." Logan answered. His voice was a low whisper by the end of the sentence and M.K felt like they were sharing ghost stories around a warm fire. "Anyway, a rumour is just a rumour. I'm sure there's no truth in it." As soon as he said it M.K could tell he didn't believe it.

"Nod, will you please tell me what 'myth' they're talking about?"

"Um, maybe some other time M. It's best you don't go in there spooked." He turned to King Jiles. "Thank you for your generosity. I feel it's time we left."

"Please travel safely. I wouldn't want you to be hurt before the big battle begins." They all gave a slight bow and turned to face the way back. Katrina, Nod, Seth and Logan were all thinking about the myth.

"An ice cold castle with ice cold walls. An ice cold King with an ice cold heart. Oh yeah, this trip's going to be peachy!" Katrina's voice was dripping with sarcasm and they walked the rest of the way in an uncomfortable silence.

-x-

"So how far away from Roordane are we now?"

"Not far Loges. Probably another half an hour of travel time. We're fairly close." Nod almost had to yell for Logan to hear him but he must have gotten the message because he flew away from his bird and back behind him.

Nod's bird had landed himself a pretty nasty foot injury and having M.K on his back had been too much weight so M.K decided to ride with Seth and to take all the heavy food items and sit them in between the two of them. Which meant Kat rode with Logan and Nod had to take the rest of the food; lightweight things only though.

Logan must have complained about being hungry or tired or bored because Katrina wacked him in the back of the head and told him to harden up.

"Hey. We've been travelling for a while. I can't help it if I'm hungry!"

Before Kat could rip off Logan's right arm Seth jumped in. "Guys, we'll stop when we're about five minutes from Roordane. Right now, focus on flying." Nod momentarily looked behind him and shot Seth an appreciative look.

"So what do we do to pass the time?"

"Logan, I said focus."

"It's bad enough I'm hungry. I don't want to be bored to." Logan pouted as he said this and M.K couldn't resist.

"How about I teach you guys a game called chain words?" They all seemed rather confused and so she started to explain. "Basically someone starts off with a word and the next person has to say a word that starts with the letter of the word in front."

"Uh. Could you give an example?" By this time they were all flying their birds in a horizontal line so they could hear each other better.

"Sure Nod. Say you say tree, I would then say something starting with e like elephant."

"And then I'd say turtle?"

"That's great Seth but how do you know what a turtle is?"

"Oh. We've seen the same animals you have except we don't find them cute. We find them ginormous, dangerous and basically terrifying."

M.K nodded her head. "I never thought of it like that. But surely you've never seen a lemur?"

"I know I haven't but my father has. On one of his missions he ended up so far away from her and in a zo? Is that how you say it? Anyway, he drew pictures of all the different animals he saw in a notebook and waited for a stomper to say its name and then he'd write it down; or just look at a sign of it. He was about our age and ever since then we've been sending people to zos and finding out more about their wildlife." Kat sounded very proud of what her dad had done. None of the other could blame her. It was a major achievement.

"You pronounce it 'z-ew'."

"Thanks M.K. Are we going to play now?" Kat asked.

"I guess so. The order can just go from one end of the line to the other so it'll be Nod, then me, then Seth, then Kat, then Loges." They all smiled and began playing. And before they knew it the air was getting colder and they had to stop to put on warmer clothing.

"Maybe we should just rest here. We're probably only seven or eight minutes out anyway. Let's rug up, fill our stomachs and get the hell out of here as quickly as possible. Any arguments?" Nod pressed.

"I think I speak for the whole group when I say, none what so ever." Kat rolled her eyes at the 'comedian' of the group. Everyone dismounted and Nod threw down a thin blanket in a clearing. The whole place gave everyone in the group the jitters but they had to do this.

-x-

They sat in a small circle, discussing how they would recruit more soldiers when an arrow came hurtling towards them. M.K instantly ducked, praying that the fast flying object wouldn't hit her. After a few minutes she noted that nothing had happened and when she looked up everyone -unhurt- was staring at her. "What? Have I got something on my face?"

Nod shook his head and smiled. "It seems the Queen didn't just choose you to deliver the pod because you were the first person she saw. She also didn't pick you because you're funny and kind and smart and-"

"Nod, get to the point." Katrina demanded. "Or we'll be here all day."

"Right, sorry. She picked you because you're powerful."

"What do you mean?"

Logan gestured to the arrow floating in mid-air. "It means you can go all wingardium leviosa up in here."

"But I-"

"That explains why you were so good when I was teaching you how to shoot with the bow and arrow. Even without knowing it, you were manipulating the arrow into flying straight and hitting the target exactly where you wanted."

**A/N: Hey everyone. I'm sorry if the next few chapters aren't quite up to scratch. Two of my close friends passed away a few days ago so my mind isn't really focusing as well as I wish it would. Sorry. **

**I cut out the boring parts like travelling to Roordane because nothing exciting happens. Are you all okay with that? **


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